A major fire continues to rage this Saturday in the municipality of Camara de Lombos in Madeira, in an area with a steep slope that makes it difficult to fight the flames. Around 100 people from the villages of Cira Velha and Terra Chan in the city of Curral das Freiras have been forced to flee their homes.
The fire, which has two active fronts and has been raging for three days, is being fought by 56 firefighters from the Câmara de Lobos volunteer firefighters, the Sapadores do Funchal fire company, the Madeira volunteer firefighters, the mixed firefighters from Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol, the Santa Cruz Sapadores fire company, the Machico municipal fire service and the Regional Assistance Command (CROS).
They are supported by 18 vehicles, an aircraft and the SRPC mobile communications and emergency response unit.
According to the latest update published at 10:15 by the Madeira Regional Civil Protection Service, extinguishing the fire “was particularly difficult due to the spread of the fire in areas difficult to access by land.”
After the fire broke out in the municipality of Ribeira Brava, it remains “active, reaching the parish of Jardim da Serra in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos and has already reached the parish of Curral das Freiras.”
“In Curral das Freiras, the fire has already spread throughout the hillside, putting the areas of Cira Velha and Terra Cha de Cima at risk, and the progress of the fire in this parish has led to the evacuation of residents from their homes for safety and precautionary measures initiated by the Municipal Civil Protection Service of Camara de Lobos,” the Civil Protection Service reported.
In the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, the fire “has spread between the towns of Jardim da Serra and Curral das Freiras,” and in Jardim da Serra, “the flames are approaching a residential area, although no residential building is currently in danger.”
In Ribeira Brava, the fire is “still active in front of Encumeada” but “outside residential areas”, and the rural firefighting team (ECIR), involved in the mixed firefighters of Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol, “maintains active surveillance” of the site.
“Despite adverse conditions such as high temperatures, low humidity, strong winds and difficult orography, teams are in the theatre of operations, making every effort to control the flames and protect homes,” Civil Defence stresses, calling on the population to avoid unnecessary travel to the affected areas.
On Friday evening, a source from the office of the President of the Executive Power of Madeira told the Lusa agency that the government of the republic had offered support in extinguishing the fire, but Miguel Albuquerque said that for now there were enough resources on the ground.
“Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel has contacted the president of the regional government to provide support in the fight against the fires,” a source in Miguel Albuquerque’s office told Lusa.
The President of the Madeira Government, according to the same source, said that “due to the difficult accessibility of the areas” where the fires are occurring, it is not possible to reach more resources and “even a helicopter cannot always operate due to the wind”.
“There is no need for that at the moment,” he insisted.
Author: Morning mail And Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.